Such a failure today... I was planning to run at dawn this morning but Veracruz was hit with a vigorous rainstorm. I don't have any waterproof running clothes with me so there was no way I could go out. My backup plan was to run later in the afternoon in Mexico City; we were taking an 11am flight there and my schedule looked like it had a 2 hour hole between afternoon appointments and dinner. I'd be staying at a hotel with a gym - voila, Plan B.
But of course things didn't go as planned; it's Mexico! We started on our way to the airport when we learned the fog was so bad the planes had all been grounded, indefinitely. Instead of flying to Mexico City from Veracruz, we were going to drive... for 5 hours. Ayyyy!
By the time we hit MEX, we were late for our lunch appointment but went anyway, and lingered for hours. It's Mexico. And really, it was fabulous; but, I ate and drank in a manner that was not exactly conducive to running, to put it mildly. I started with a Kahlúa and club soda, then had a bloody Mary, and then drank white wine with lunch... followed by an espresso. Zero water during all of this. I ate several kinds of fish with hot sauces, and meat, bread and tostadas, salad, pickled vegetables, and rice. We shared meringue strawberry shortcake, fig cheesecake, and banana cream pie for dessert.
After lunch everyone went to a cantina to drink but I went back to the hotel to work. I sat at my desk attempting to connect to the internet, reading files, and longing to run up to the gym... but also feeling so full and gross, I couldn't imagine moving more than 2 mph! Finally, the team came back from the cantina and told me we still had an hour off before we'd leave for the next cantina, and then dinner. (I'm going to explode. Help!) I decided I needed to at least try to get some activity in. I threw my running clothes on and ran up to the gym with the best intentions.
There was one treadmill in the gym and the belt was loose. My iPod was somehow completely drained and I couldn't get the volume on the TV to go up. I turned the machine on and just started walking. I couldn't go faster than 4.7 mph, and couldn't keep that up for more than a quarter of a mile. My head was throbbing. My legs wouldn't move. The view of the sun setting over Mexico City, with the Cathedral silhouetted in the background, was lovely; and it's Mexican "flag day" today, so there are marching bands playing in the square outside. Still, all I wanted to do was stop moving, stop running, and lie down. After just half a mile I quit. I'm a quitter! I was so miserable. The gym is on the same floor as the rooftop bar and people were starting to congregate, and kept looking in at me as I dragged along the belt. It was awful. I hated it. It made me doubt this whole process, and remember how much I hate to run.
I am supposed to be running an 8k race in Miami on Friday, just 2 days from now. It'll be hot and a challenge. I do not have a reprieve from eating and drinking like a rock star between now and then, either, so I'm wondering how I'm going to pull it off. I feel like I need to detox from this trip already, sleep, and get my spirits back up - and it's only been 3 days! I mean, I'm having a fantastic and productive time, work wise, but running wise... sharp downturn since Monday! I'm going to have to figure out a way to prepare myself for this race Friday. I have colleagues coming to watch me cross the finish line, too. No pressure!
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